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Add a Splash of Colour - Mark Conlan - www.jamartprints.com

St Joseph’s Community College, Lowpark, Charlestown, Co. Mayo

A Night Out

Nights out are fun to think of and the excitement is all so thrilling
Heading to my friend’s house, make up and clothes in hand
We talk about what the nights gonna be like and how pissed everyone would be
Sitting on the bus people spewing on the seats,
I sit there and watch the chaos

Inside the nightclub I walk with my friends
I see people I love and give them a hug
When a boy I’ve never met before rides his hand up my skirt
I jump and turn around to see a sea of people, who wouldn’t give a second glance
To the normalities of nights out for a young girl trying to enjoy herself,
But then again I was wearing the tight, short skirt.
I was asking for a night out.

Anon

Sum of our Parts

We’re brought up in the idea of
We know no better,
And that’s our excuse.
We work to the letter,
Cos we’re just no use.
It covers up all the mistakes we make.
We’re brought up in a world
That’s plastic and fake.
Where maturity is defined,
Not by experience,
But by a number, an age,
And the sum of our parts
Is the grade on our page.

Vivienne Beirne

Perfection is a Disease

I see people wanting to look like someone else,
Or act in a certain way to be accepted.
But really what they don’t see is that they don’t need to be anyone but themselves.
Perfection is a disease of a nation.

I am a girl and I am pressured to look and act in an appropriate way.
I can be made feel not good enough because I am not the prettiest,
I overthink and compare myself to every other girl.
I want to always be better.

Comparison can kill you inside.
It’s a battle of feeling like nobody will want you,
If you don’t have the perfect figure, clear skin, and aren’t popular,
Then it is very hard to be noticed.

But I have to remember that nobody can be perfect.
Life isn’t like a magazine or movie.
Each day can be a struggle but,
There is more to beauty than looks.

Being beautiful is having a good personality,
Being selfless,
Having strong beliefs,
And having a good heart.

Perfection can consume me at times,
I am unique.
I shouldn’t bring myself down,
I don’t know who I am supposed to please,
Because perfection is a disease.

Ava Stevens

Hey You

Hey you bullies,
What’s in your mind?
You make victims hide
What’s the reason?
Why?
You make victims cry.
Why do you haunt us?
You make them uneasy,
You call us names,
You hurt our feelings.
What’s the point of bullying us?
You’ll be in trouble,
But you have double
Of you.

Victoria

Underage Drinking

They drink at the age of 15, which adults call a disgrace
They go down back alleys hiding away from parents, who try teach us grace
They love a good session in the open fields, outside town
No adults or Garda would ever think to go come down
Boxes of cans hidden in the ditches, under grass and bushes
Groups gather to look cool and to be part of the cool gang
Drinking as much as they can, until they get sick or pass out
Underage drinking is sick

Ruairi Cullen

16 Years of Age

I am only 16 years of age,
And this can cause a lot of rage.
Everyday I login to my Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook accounts
And all I see is pressure on young girls in huge amounts.
Society tells us we have to have a perfect body and face,
In my opinion this is a disgrace.
It’s hard when you care about what people think,
So were pressured to do things even drink.
You have to wear certain clothes that boys will adore,
But some people will say you look like a s*** or a wh***.
Our parents’ say we have nothing to worry about everything’s grand,
But there not 16 in modern times, it’s time we make a stand.
So I’m calling all you 16 year olds don’t care about what people say
Because no matter what your beautiful in every single way.

Ellen Horan

Don’t Worry

Don’t worry about the fact that it doesn’t feel like home
Don’t worry about the fact that I feel all alone
It doesn’t matter that I’m bored all the time
But back home, its either shite pay or crime
I go in for another day of school
But this is just cruel
It used to be that I’d just want to run away
Just trying to keep depression at bay
But it’s getting better my life’s looking up
But every day is still just a huge windup

Anon

We Drink

We drink, we drink to dull the pain
We drink and drink to be the same
We drink to ease the endless boredom
We drink until the drink has floored em
We drink and drink to ease the fear
To make reality disappear
We drink because we struggle inside
When we drink life seems so clear
We drink because we hold drink dear
While our memories fade away
We drink to live another day

Sean Dunleavy

Society’s Perfection

How often have you heard, you look so pretty today
If not often I wouldn’t be surprised as nowadays,
We all seem to live in this kind of judgmental bubble
Where we have to keep following this kind of trend.
Nowadays you see younger and younger girls
Wearing makeup or clothes you never wore at their age.
If you ask them, “why they are doing this?”
You might get an answer
“I love makeup, it’s so fun.”
But let’s be honest, who are we lying to?
Each girl is pretty, no matter if you have
Curves or your skinny, you have spots or not.
You’re beautiful, no matter what anyone says.
You’re beautiful in many different ways.

Daria Domagala

Welcome to Secondary School

We laugh when teachers tell us
‘School is the best years of your life’.
We are told to write an essay in a week,
And are expected to write an unpredictable
Essay in an exam in the space of an hour.

We get up at 7, prepare for school at 9,
And get home at 4, while being expected
To spend 3 hours on homework,
All at the same time, as our teachers are telling us
To get 8 hours of sleep a night.

We hear the phrase “it looks good on CVs” 10 times a day,
And are being burdened with piles of homework every night,
All of which includes learning definitions and
Wondering ‘y’ your ‘x’ never came back.

We walk into school every day, and just wait
For the clock to strike 4 in class.
So we can get away from the teachers,
Telling us we will never amount to anything,
Unless we get an A in Irish and Maths.

Aisling McCaffrey

Ups and Downs

This is when you lose your bag, lose your mind
And lose your man.
When you realize you’ve messed up bad
And then everything turns very sad

Can’t remember the football team playing
Or what the cute guy was saying
It then hits you there and then
Like a knife to the throat or you’ve committed a sin

You feel free and alive, but soon wake up to realize
That it’s all lies.
Thinking back, regretting the night, wish my friends
Never got into that fight.

Lying to your parents and sneaking drink,
Thinking your class, but you just should just stop and think.
They think we are angels, but there is no halo.
Just empty cans and boys getting confused when girls say ‘no’

There are no mistakes, it’s just a lesson in life.
But before you take a sip, just think twice.
Just want a nice relationship but,
Boys are fake and now you’re known as a s***.

Life’s a roller-coaster it’s full of ups and downs
But if you’re at the top when it ends, there is no need for the frown.

Anon

School

People say school is the best time of your life,
Others say, it’s a waste a time.
A few say, it’s something you shouldn’t take for granted
We are taught different things in school,
Such as things we may never use,
In the job we may grow up to have.
Our parents say we will eventually look back
And think about what we could’ve or couldn’t have done in school.

Anon

Under Rocks and Trees

Me and the lads
Down the railway smoking and drinking
A few hours before we would go off to the disco
Bags of cans hidden in the bushes
Under rocks and trees so no one will see

The craic is mighty as soon as the bus pulls off
More smoking and drinking and a few piss stops
Stumbling off the bus to go for a piss
To hear the bus driver shouting “don’t get sick.”

Get to the disco at 9 o clock
Dragged off the bus to stand in a line
Not feeling the best but you don’t really care
As long as ya get the shift who really cares?

After the disco running around
Trying to find the bus
A few lads staring trying to a fight
We would hop off the bus and then run like f***
Back onto the bus on the way home
No piss stops, no smoking or drinking
Acting sober so the aul lady won’t notice

Eoin Goldrick

Untitled

I’m sitting here trying to think of something to write
Everyone is here typing away while I’m stuck for words
The noise of the keyboards are constant but my screen is white
My brain is blank I see nothing but the blinking line waiting for me to type
I look around and see some confused faces looking around for inspiration
I don’t know what to say i feel my brain go tight
But then I just start to type

Molly Beirne

In the Night

He would give him a slap
Where the lads have the craic.
In the friends garage they would hang him by the toes
In front of all the bros
The drink didn’t help as they hopped on the bikes
It probably wasn’t right
They didn’t give a shite

It was 4 in the night
The tops came off on the bikes
There was no lights
A few fell of the bikes
Blood on the legs knocked them back a peg

Tipsy in the head, it was time for bed
Arrived back at five it was a good life.
Goodnight to the boys and no more noise.
After all it wasn’t a good choice for the boys

The booze wasn’t smooth
The morning was so rude.
And neither was the mood.

Ben Crean

We Started

We started to drink at 16
But all the adults started to disagree
We went on sessions smoking Benson and downing shorts
We thought we were cool waking up passed out beside the pool
Our excuse is that we go to discos for girls
But really we go for beer and fags
Our personalities don’t change
Even though we’re told we will go nowhere in life
If we go down this path where really we can control ourselves
And drink under a certain limit
The drama
The next morning wondering why I’m tired and grumpy
When they really know I was drinking beer
Saying it was naughty
People acting tuff when they’re drunk
It’s all fun and games until somebody takes it too far
Like getting drunk and driving a car
Our parents say we’re adults and need to act more like adults
When we drink we know our limits
So we don’t take it too far and get brought home in a squad car
Drinking in my opinion isn’t the worst
Even though your mother may have an outburst
If you can manage yourself and know your limits
Things will turn out good

Anon

Untitled

Organised the night before
All rushed into town cans coming out our ears
Down to the spot and call in a few women
There was always the usual people
After an hour stumble up to the chipper
And try to order a burger
Once in a while someone’s auld lady will ring
And the place runs rapid with ‘ssshhhhhhhh’
Around 8 we’ll all go home
Wake up the next day thinking
What the f**k did we do that for

Anon

On their Minds

They headed into town
With only drink on their minds
Like a bunch of clowns,
Drinking whatever they could find.

They made their way to the bus
Sitting where ever we could
Not making a fuss
About to grow out of their childhood

They would see things they’d never before
A night that would live long in the memory
Surely the future holds much more
As some parents ring the Garda telephone directory

They wouldn’t remember much more
As they wake up the next morning
Just remembering what they did the night before
As they sense their senses returning

Anon

A Good Nights

I was making my way down town with a rusty saw
I knew it was totally against the law
I headed up to the spot to meet the lot
Already for beers
All I can hear is plenty of cheers
I can hear the girls’ squealing like squirrels
Headed up through the town after a good night
Jeez it was mad

BRAVE NEW WORDS

Every month our Brave New Words blog features submissions received from students who’ve participated in our workshops. Every year Inspireland delivers creative writing and poetry slam workshops to over 6,000 students throughout Ireland.